Drawn From Nature - The Botanical Art of Joseph Prestele and His Sons

During the 1970's Dr Fritz Herrmann, a scholar living at Friedberg , Hassen in West Germany, came upon a publication on the most poisonous plants of Germany, published in 1943. One of its two parts was a portfolio of twenty four "absolutely enchanting" colour plates by an artist named Joseph Prestele operating out of a small print shop in Friedberg. Little or nothing was known about this talented artist till a brief work was published about him. Quite independently then, the author came across his name and work separately in a US book publication. and the learnt that the career of this quiet and self-effacing artist touched people and events important in the history of lithography. the was also moved by the personal story of the man and his wife with their abiding religious faith, being involved in a communal religious sect. whose search for a refuge eventually led them from Germany to the Iowa frontier. Hence this interesting and attractive book resulted from the author's quest for Joseph Prestele and his sons. Prestele's illustrations are nothing less than exquisite and would be a joy for all and any artist and scholar to peruse.